The series has introduced dozens of additional recurring characters over the years. These have ranged from anthropomorphic animal characters like Shadow the Hedgehog and Cream the Rabbit to robots created by Eggman like Metal Sonic and E-123 Omega, as well as human characters like Eggman's grandfather Gerald Robotnik. The series also features two fictional species: Chao, which have usually functioned as digital pets and minor gameplay and plot elements, and more recently, Wisps, which have been used as power-ups.

The Sonic games keep a separate continuity from the Sonic the Hedgehog comics published by Archie Comics and other Sonic media and, as a result, feature a distinct yet overlapping array of characters.

Characters

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog,[a] trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog,[1] is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog and the main protagonist of the series. Developed as a replacement for their existing Alex Kidd mascot, as well as Sega's response to Mario, his first appearance was in the arcade game, Rad Mobile (as a cameo), before making his official debut in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Sonic's greatest ability is his running speed, and he is known as the world's fastest hedgehog.[2] Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Super Sonic and can achieve even greater speeds.

Doctor Eggman

Doctor Ivo Robotnik,[b][3] better known by his alias Doctor Eggman,[c][4] is a mad scientist and the main antagonist of the series. Debuting in the first game of the series, Sonic the Hedgehog, he was shown attempting to collect the Chaos Emeralds and turn all of the animals inhabiting the land into robots. He is a self-proclaimed or certifiable genius with an IQ of 300.[5][6][7] His fondness for mechas has made him a renowned authority on robotics. Ultimately, Eggman's goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate utopia, Eggmanland (alternatively known as the Eggman Empire and Robotnikland).[8]

Miles "Tails" Prower

Miles Prower,[d] better known by his nicknameTails,[e] is a two-tailed fox who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick. His name is a pun on "miles per hour". He is able to use his two tails to propel himself into the air like a helicopter for a limited time. Yasushi Yamaguchi, originally the main artist and zone designer for Sega's Sonic Team, designed Tails for an internal competition for a sidekick to Sonic. His first appearance was in Sonic 2 for the Game Gear, where he was kidnapped by Doctor Robotnik for a "hefty" ransom, and was first made playable in the Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.[11] Tails has appeared in almost every Sonic game since his first appearance. Tails also starred in two solo spinoff games for the Sega Game Gear in 1995 - Tails' Skypatrol, and Tails Adventures.[12] Frequently portrayed as a sweet-natured[13] and humble fox,[14] Tails used to be picked on because of his twin tails, before he met Sonic.[15] Tails has a very high IQ and excellent mechanical ability.

In the games, Amy is depicted as driven and competitive. She spends much of her time following Sonic to get his attention or make sure he is safe while demonstrating her affection.[16] Series co-creator Yuji Naka said that Amy was designed "to always chase Sonic", and has made it her life goal to one day marry him.[24] Not possessing the speed or strength of the other characters, Amy uses a hammer to defend herself instead.[16][25] In Sonic CD, Metal Sonic kidnaps Amy and Sonic must rescue her. When he does, Amy kisses him.[21] Amy's first appearance in a Sonic platformer as a playable character was in Sonic Adventure;[22][26] she is also playable in Sonic Heroes (2003)[27] and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006),[28] and appears as a non-player character in games such as Sonic Unleashed (2008).[29]

While some journalists have called Amy cute and powerful,[22][30] others find her annoying.[31][32][33][34] Justin Towell of GamesRadar+ and writers from Mean Machines expressed general displeasure at her introduction in Sonic CD.[34][35] Additionally, some have criticized developers' treatment of Amy as a female character and analyzed her implications on gender representation in video games. The Electronic Gaming Monthly staff found her pink coloring and tendency to run from danger to be stereotypical and common in Japanese-created female characters,[36] while feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian cites Amy as an example of the "Ms. Male Character" trope, in which female characters in games with male protagonists often resemble those protagonists, but with stereotypically feminine features added.[37] Despite this, Amy is one of the series' most popular characters, coming in fifth place in an official Japanese popularity poll in 2006.[38] Her likeness has been used in Sonic merchandise,[39] and she appears in the television adaptations Sonic X (2003–2006) and Sonic Boom (2014–2017).[40][31]

Metal Sonic

Metal Sonic[g] is an evil robotic version of Sonic created by Dr. Robotnik. He first appears in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. He is given orders to go back in time and change the past so that Dr. Robotnik can rule the future. Sonic must race him in Stardust Speedway to free Amy Rose. He is severely wounded when he crashes and falls, but is rejuvenated by Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, only to be defeated again in a similar style. He returns in Knuckles' Chaotix, where he attempts to obtain the Chaos Rings, but he is stopped by the Chaotix. Metal Sonic notably acted as the main antagonist in Sonic Heroes, appearing in a new form as Neo Metal Sonic before transforming into the game's final boss, the Metal Overlord. Upon being defeated by Super Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, he reverts to his traditional appearance. He also appears as the main antagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog (OVA), where Eggman records Sonic's abilities and uploads them to Metal Sonic, who proceeds in attempting to destroy the world before being tossed into lava by Sonic. Metal Sonic appears as a bonus playable character in Sonic Rivals, reprogrammed to aid Eggman Nega in his attempt to take over the world. He returns as a playable character in Sonic Rivals 2, now under orders from Eggman to aid Shadow in stopping Eggman Nega's plans. In Sonic Free Riders, Metal Sonic is a playable character and the final opponent in the game's story mode. In Sonic Generations, he appears in his classic form as a rival boss, battling Classic Sonic in Stardust Speedway before ultimately being destroyed. Metal Sonic returns as a boss character in Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. He also appears in the Sonic Boom episode, "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog". Metal Sonic appears as a boss in the Sonic story mode of Lego Dimensions.

He possesses great strength, a laser cannon built into his abdomen, a jet engine protruding from his back, and a force field device he can use to protect himself from projectiles and certain attacks. He usually only communicates with a series of electronic noises. The only notable time Metal Sonic was able to talk was in Sonic Heroes in which he was voiced by Jun'ichi Kanemaru in Japanese and Ryan Drummond in English.

GameDaily placed Metal Sonic 13th on their "Top 25 Video Game Robots" list, describing him as Dr. Robotnik's "greatest creation" and praising the strength of his abilities.[41]

Knuckles the Echidna

Knuckles the Echidna[h] is Sonic's friendly rival. First introduced in the Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Knuckles lives on Angel Island, which hovers in the sky due to the power of the Master Emerald. As the last surviving member of the Echidna people who once inhabited the island, his duty is to guard the Master Emerald.

During conception of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the development team wanted to create a new rival for Sonic. The final design of Knuckles was the result of dozens of possible designs inspired by numerous different animals.[42] A character with many different abilities and skills, he is physically one of the strongest characters of the Sonic series.[43] His strength and mastery of martial arts, specialising in punches, enables him to perform feats such as shattering boulders with his fists, while he can trap air underneath his dreadlocks in order to glide for short distances.

EggRobo

An EggRobo[i] is an egg-shaped humanoid robot which resembles Doctor Eggman. They first appeared as enemies in the game Sonic & Knuckles. In Sonic's storyline, they only appeared as standard enemies in the Sky Sanctuary Zone. In Knuckles' story, however, one EggRobo in particular replaces Eggman as the end-of-zone boss in a number of levels. An EggRobo later appears in Sonic R as a playable character, and in the form of a kart racer in Sonic Adventure 2.

Fang the Sniper

Fang the Sniper,[j][44] initially known as Nack the Weasel[45] in English localizations, is a purple wolf/weasel hybrid[46] (a wolf/jerboa hybrid in Japan[47][48]) that first appeared in the Game Gear video game Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble in 1994. His character is a treasure hunter in search of the Chaos Emeralds; however he does not know of their true power and merely wants to sell them for profit.[45] He is a slick,[46] sneaky, and mischievous[44] character who will steal the Emeralds for an easier job.[45] Fang tries hard to outwit others, but is held back by his naivety and often fails.[44]

Chaotix

The Chaotix are a group of four characters who debuted in the game Knuckles' Chaotix as the main characters, later forming their own detective agency in Sonic Heroes. IGN described the characters as "charming" and noted that they were introduced before fans became weary of all the new characters in the series.[49]

Big the Cat

Big the Cat[k] first appeared in the 1998 Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure, where he was placed to justify the presence of a fishing rod in the game, although he was conceived beforehand.[50] Big is a large, purple anthropomorphic cat, who is depicted as—while unintelligent—sweet, easygoing, and physically strong.[51][52]

Big has been derided by the video game press and fanbase for his obesity, low intelligence, one-dimensional development and uselessness within his games; he has appeared on several lists of the worst video game characters of all time and within the Sonic cast.[53][54][55] Due to his poor reception and apparent uselessness, Sonic Team decided to remove him from any future games starting in 2012,[56] although head Takashi Iizuka has since stated that a game starring Big is a possibility.[57] Big has, however, made additional cameo appearances. He made a brief appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog world in Lego Dimensions, where he asks for the player's assistance in catching Froggy as a side-quest.[58]

Chaos

Chaos[m] is a Chao mutated by the Chaos Emeralds that acts as a guardian for its species, protects the Master Emerald, and provides clear water around its altar.[59] It is a water-like being that can easily manipulate its body. Without any Chaos Emeralds, it is known as "Chaos Zero", but with each Emerald it absorbs, it transforms into a more powerful form, eventually becoming "Perfect Chaos" with all 7 Emeralds.

Its first appearance is in Sonic Adventure, where Dr. Eggman attempts to use it to conquer the world. Chaos tracks down the emeralds, becomes "Perfect Chaos", and floods all of Station Square, but is ultimately defeated by Super Sonic. It reappears in Sonic Adventure 2 as a bonus multiplayer character, in Sonic Battle as a playable fighter, and in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games as an ice version of Perfect Chaos. He reappears in his perfect form in Sonic Generations as a boss where he has a new look with green teeth and dark blue reptilian skin for the upper half of his body.[60] This was supposed to be how he always looked, but the technology of the Dreamcast at the time made this look impossible.[61] Chaos appears as the final boss in the Sonic the Hedgehog pack of Lego Dimensions.

E-100 Series

The E-100 Series is a group of robots created by Doctor Eggman, who uses them in his quest to conquer the world; However some of their members have since gone rogue.[62]

E-100 Alpha[n], better known as Zero, is the first of the E-100 series and considered the prototype of the line.[63] He was created by Dr. Eggman and ordered to capture the Chaos Emerald from Amy Rose's Flicky friend, Birdie. He first appeared in Sonic Adventure as the main antagonist in Amy's story, where he repeatedly tries to capture Birdie. At the end of Amy's story, she destroys him. In Sonic Advance 2, he appears in special stages, trying to prevent players from getting the seven Chaos Emeralds.

E-102 Gamma[o] also primarily appears in Sonic Adventure. He is a red, bulky robot[64] with a powerful gun built into his arm.[65] Gamma turns against his master after a heartfelt conversation with Amy Rose, who becomes his friend.[66][67] He offers shoot-'em-up gameplay to a largely platforming-focused game.[68] Gamma later appears as a playable character in Sonic Battle. He has garnered mixed comments from critics.[69] While Xbox World generally commended his story,[70] others criticized the slow and repetitive nature of his gameplay.[71][72][73]

Tikal the Echidna

Tikal[r] (/tɪˈkæl/) is an orange echidna, who is the daughter of Chief Pachacamac[s] from the same tribe that Knuckles the Echidna descends, the Knuckles Tribe.[83] She first appears in Sonic Adventure and returns in Sonic Adventure 2. Thousands of years before the main events of the series, she opposes her father's power-hungry ways of invading other countries.[84] She eventually comes into contact with Chaos and a group of Chao at the shrine of the Master Emerald, who accept her due to her friendliness to them. She tries to reason with him about raiding the shrine for the emeralds, but he, hesitated by what she said to him, briefly snaps at her and orders the Knuckles Clan to attack. When the Clan does as it is told, they ran over Tikal and the Chao, which angers Chaos, as he punishes Pachacamac and the Knuckles Clan for what they did to Tikal and the Chao, by destroying them, absorbing the negative power of the emeralds. After that, Tikal tells the Master Emerald to stop Chaos, as it seals her inside itself.[85] Several thousand years later, Doctor Eggman shatters the Master Emerald and awakens the angry Chaos and Tikal's spirit. Tikal helps the main characters defeat Chaos and then leaves with it.[86] Tikal appears in Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 in a Chao minigame, and makes a cameo appearance on the Angel Island board of Sonic Pinball Party. In both Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2, she appears on a variety of collectible cards. In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, she appears as an unlockable Mii costume. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, she is a collectable sticker. Tikal appears as a playable character in Sonic Runners.

Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog[t] is an artificially created life form in the design of a black and red malehedgehog, similar to Sonic. His trademark hover skates propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic.[87]

According to official profiles, Shadow was created 50 years ago by Professor Gerald Robotnik as the "Ultimate Life Form",[88] which is ageless and immortal.[89] Sharp witted and seemingly always on the edge,[7][90] once he has set himself to a goal, he will do whatever it takes to accomplish it,[7] regardless of any danger.[91] After the trauma of the death of his only friend, Maria Robotnik, Shadow strives to fulfill his purpose and keep the promise he made to her.[7][91] Although his relationship with Sonic seems to have developed from antagonistic to friendly rivalry, animosity from not understanding their different mindsets still occurs.[92]

However, Shadow shares a lot of similarities with Sonic.[91][93] He can perform spin attacks common to Sonic,[88] which are a variation on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection. Additionally, with the power of a Chaos Emerald, Shadow can warp time and space with Chaos Control.[88][90][91] Shadow is also able to use a variety of other Chaos powers, such as "Chaos Spear" and "Chaos Blast".[91]

Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, Shadow uses his super transformation to transform into Super Shadow[94] and bestows new abilities of flight and near invulnerability, with normal abilities of speed and enhanced Chaos powers.

Professor Gerald Robotnik

Professor Gerald Robotnik[u] is the grandfather of Maria Robotnik and Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Fifty years before the main series, he attempted to create the "Ultimate Life Form" under the funding of the United Federation, hoping that it can help cure Maria's illness. He appears in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog.

Maria Robotnik

Maria Robotnik[v] is a character that appears mostly in flashbacks in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog. She is the granddaughter of Professor Gerald Robotnik, and is the cousin of Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Maria suffers from the illness known as "NIDS" (Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome), which was incurable at the time. Gerald takes on Project Shadow in order to save her life. Soon after Shadow is created, the two bond deeply, though it is short-lived as a government organization named "G.U.N." soon raids the ARK, fatally shooting Maria. Before she dies, she encases Shadow in an escape pod and asks him to bring hope to humanity and give humans a chance to be happy. This experience with Maria scars Shadow for life, but ultimately his determination to keep his promise to her leads him to team up with Sonic and save the Earth multiple times.

Maria's first, and only, playable appearance is in Shadow the Hedgehog, where she can be controlled as a partner character by a second player during specific in-game missions.

Rouge the Bat

Rouge the Bat[w] is a white, anthropomorphic bat who made her first appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001, and who has been featured in several games since. She is depicted as a professional treasure hunter devoted to the pursuit of jewels,[95] calling herself the "World's Greatest Treasure Hunter". She has a tendency to ignore abstract morality or manners for potential profit;[96] her "feminine charm" makes her appear careless, but she is actually scheming and manipulative.[95] Additionally, she serves as a part-time spy for the government.[95] She fights using kicks, especially her signature "Screw Kick," and she can fly using her wings.[97]

Cream the Rabbit and Cheese

Cream the Rabbit[x] is a peach-coloredrabbit with a constant companion named Cheese,[y] a blue Chao with a red bow-tie. Their names were based on "cream cheese".[98][99] Cream is portrayed as being naive because of being brought up like a princess by her mother, Vanilla.[100] She always politely minds her manners[101] but sometimes acts childishly.[101] Cream can achieve flight for short periods of time by flapping her two large ears,[100] while Cheese often attacks on Cream's behalf by ramming into her adversaries.[102]

Cream has received mostly negative opinions from the video game press. Thomas East of Official Nintendo Magazine ranked her as the fifth worst Sonic character, criticizing various aspects of her like her high-pitched voice, repetitious speech in Sonic Heroes, "ridiculous smile", and single eyelash on each eye.[107] Christian Nutt of GameSpy singled her out as one of the negative features of Sonic Advance 2, calling her "corny" and "dopey-looking".[108]GamesRadar writer Jim Sterling ranked her as his second worst, stating that she "represents perhaps everything that's wrong with Sonic the Hedgehog characters", particularly finding her name to be random.[109] Similarly, Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer exclaimed "oh God" at her and Cheese's names.[110] David Houghton of GamesRadar ranked her name as one of the 25 worst among all video game characters, seeing a double entendre in the word "cream".[111] In contrast, Xbox World's review of Heroes stated that "we love Cream" and called her "the best new Sonic character since Tails."[112]

G.U.N. Commander

The G.U.N. Commander[z] is the leader of the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.), a major military organization in the Sonic universe. His childhood took place aboard the ARK, a massive space station that was first explored in Sonic Adventure 2, although he did not appear in that game. While there, he befriended Maria Robotnik and witnessed the creation of Shadow. His family was killed when G.U.N. attacked the ARK, and he began to harbor a deep resentment towards Shadow as a result, though he would later join the organization. He appears throughout Shadow the Hedgehog as an antagonist; he tries to kill Shadow at first, though in one of the game's branching pathways, he realizes that Shadow has no memories of the incident and lets him go. Dialogue from levels in this game indicates that he has at least one child and one grandchild. The Commander also appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, where he allies with the game's playable characters against the Marauders, an antagonistic nation.

Blaze the Cat

Blaze the Cat[aa] is a purple catprincess from an alternate dimension. She has been appointed as guardian of the Sol Emeralds, her dimension's version of the Chaos Emeralds,[113] making her role similar to that of Knuckles the Echidna.[114] She is portrayed as calm and levelheaded, hiding her true feelings.[115] She is sometimes "bogged down" by her own strict discipline and devotion to her position, making her appear withdrawn.[115] Blaze can control fire,[113] but wears a cape to conceal it as she was teased about her pyrokinetic abilities when she was young.[114] Using the Sol Emeralds, she transforms into Burning Blaze. Blaze wears a purple dress and white tights with pink high heels and a yellow necklace.

Blaze debuted in Sonic Rush as a playable character along with Sonic.[116] She arrives in Sonic's dimension from another dimension along with the Sol Emeralds. While searching for the Emeralds, she befriends Sonic and Cream and helps them stop Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega before returning to her dimension. She reappears in Sonic the Hedgehog as Silver the Hedgehog's friend during the future of Sonic's dimension. The two attempt to fix their ruined future world by traveling back in time. Blaze ends up sacrificing her life to seal Iblis, the fiery monster that has destroyed their world, inside herself, but is brought back to life at the end of the game when Sonic destroyed Iblis in his own time period. She appeared again as the main character in Sonic Rush Adventure, where Sonic and Tails are transported to her dimension and help her retrieve the "Jeweled Scepter".[117]

Blaze has been mostly well-received by critics. IGN remarked upon seeing her at TGS 2005 that she "easily earned her place in the team" amidst unremarkable secondary characters. Her gameplay has been praised as "fast-moving and fun" as opposed to slower characters introduced earlier in the series,[118] but criticized for its resemblance to that of Sonic.[119] Blaze has been called "a nice addition to Sonic's cast" and "one of the more complex, multifaceted characters in the Sonic canon".[119][120]

Eggman Nega

Eggman Nega[ab] is Eggman's descendant from 200 years in the future, first introduced in Sonic Rush as the arch-enemy of Blaze the Cat and later Silver the Hedgehog.[121] He is known to cause trouble not only through time travel, but through inter-dimensional travel as well. Although his outward appearance resembles that of Doctor Eggman, his personality is different.[122] He is heartless and calculating, but maintains polite speech and manners.[122] His exact role in the overall series varies; in the Sonic Rush series, he works alongside the original Eggman as a team,[123] while in the Sonic Rivals series, he tends to use the fact that he resembles Eggman to his advantage, letting Eggman take the heat for his actions.[124]

Babylon Rogues

The Babylon Rogues are a group of avian thieves. They have only appeared collectively in the three racing games Sonic Riders, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and Sonic Free Riders. Producer Takashi Yuda considered them best-suited for Sonic series racing games, and noted in a 2006 interview that Sonic characters are usually designed with one specific storyline in mind.[125]

The Rogues have received predominantly negative comments from gaming journalists. Alex Navarro and Joe Dodson of GameSpot separately criticized their clichéd backstory,[126][127] as did Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell.[128]IGN's Jack DeVries specifically called Jet a "jerk" and stated that his voice is annoying, especially in Free Riders.[129]

Jet the Hawk

Jet the Hawk[ac] is a green hawk and the leader of the Babylon Rogues,[130] and nicknamed the "Legendary Wind Master"[131] due to his mastery of Extreme Gear.[132] This mastery comes from his forefathers.[130] His skills make him a possible match to Sonic the Hedgehog,[132] whom he considers a rival.[130] Jet is aware of his duties as leader but must sometimes be helped by his team.[130] Filled with extreme pride, the thing he likes most other than treasure is himself.[130] He despises losing and those who are faster or more confident than him and fights using Bashyo Fans.[130]

Wave the Swallow

Wave the Swallow[ad] is a purple swallow who is the current team's mechanic, as her father was for the previous generation of the Babylon Rogues.[133] Gifted in this craft,[133] she has a superb mechanical knowledge of Extreme Gear, which surpasses both Miles "Tails" Prower and Dr. Eggman.[134] Because of this knowledge, she is full of confidence.[135] She hates thick-headed or stupid people and notices everything, but her advice tends to be understandable only to her.[135] Although she looks on Jet the Hawk as an "unreliable younger brother" and can be stubborn, she follows his leadership.[135]

Storm the Albatross

Storm the Albatross[ae] is a hulking albatross who is described as the muscle of the Babylon Rogues and Jet the Hawk's "right hand man."[136] The strength of his loyalty to Jet is greater than any other and he hates rivals to the team.[137] When he is angry, he becomes destructive;[137] and the raw power of his physical strength makes up for his lower intelligence[136] and lack of speed.[138] With his quick temper, he may stutter when flustered,[136] and he hates having to wait.[137]

Silver the Hedgehog

Silver the Hedgehog[af] is a silver-furred hedgehog from 200 years in the future of the main timeline. He first appeared in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog. His individual episode revolves around him traveling back in time with Blaze the Cat to find and slay Sonic the Hedgehog, who they believe is the cause of their world being destroyed in the future. Silver's primary ability is telekinesis;[139] he is able to levitate objects and use them as projectiles to either defeat enemies, or interact with his environment.[140] Like Sonic and Shadow, he transforms into "super form" by using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds.

Silver's creation was inspired by the game's early development stages, where the development team was making huge levels with multiple paths through them, and decided they wanted to include a new character with unique abilities for an alternate way to play through the levels.[139] The design team developed over fifty different concepts for the character.[139] At one point he was to actually be an orange mink named Venice (named after the city of the same name), but the developers ultimately decided against this, fearing a mink would not blend in with the rest of the characters.[139] They ended up deciding to make another hedgehog instead.[139] Orange was originally decided for his fur, but they soon moved away from that in color, in favor to a white-gray one.[139] While developing the character models and textures, they focused on using the hardware to develop the textures rather than just use white-gray, which lead to Silver's color and name.[139] Additionally, Silver's backstory was inspired by Trunks from the 1984 manga Dragon Ball, who made a similar journey to the past to kill two androids that would eradicate most of humanity in his own time; the script for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) flat-out states "Essentially, think Trunks from Dragon Ball Z."[141]

Wisps

Wisps[ai] are a race of extraterrestrial creatures who live on a grassy, lush planet called Planet Wisp.[150][151] The mother of all Wisps is a much larger, pink one named Mother Wisp.[152] She created Planet Wisp and raised all of her children.[153] Wisps speak a common language that Sonic and Tails cannot understand,[154] though Tails builds a translation device in the game Sonic Colors.[155] Their Japanese and English name comes from Tails' translation of a word in their language;[156] other characters in the game simply refer to them as "aliens".[157][158] Wisps are composed of an energy force called "Hyper-go-ons",[159] which they can use to phase into the body of playable protagonist Sonic and give him temporary elemental powers.[150][160] They come in numerous breeds, each carrying one of many elemental powers known as "Color Powers".[150] When Sonic collects a Wisp, he can use its power once at will; however, he can only carry one at a time.[161]

There are numerous types of Wisps, each with its own special ability. Colors introduced ten types between the Wii and Nintendo DS versions of the game; some only appear in one version. For example, Purple Wisps, whose "Frenzy" ability turns Sonic into a difficult-to-control demon that can chomp through obstacles, is exclusive to the Wii version,[162] but Violet Wisps, which scale up Sonic's density to black hole-like levels and causes him to absorb enemies, obstacles, and rings, appear only in the DS version.[163] However, others appear in both versions, such as Yellow Wisps, which allow Sonic to drill underground and find otherwise inaccessible areas.[162]Lost World introduced more types of Wisps while keeping some old types.[164] Among these are Magenta Wisps, which bounce Sonic across paths of musical notes by having the player tap them on the Wii U's touch screen,[165] and Black Wisps, which turn Sonic into a bomb that can roll over enemies and explode.[166] The Colors manual describes each type of Wisp as having a different general personality; for example, Cyan Wisps, which allow Sonic to bounce off surfaces, are scatterbrained and energetic, while Orange Wisps, which blast him rapidly into the air, have fluctuating and explosive emotions.[167]

In Sonic Colors, Eggman builds an amusement park spanning the Wisps' planets under the pretense of making up for past transgressions.[151][168][169] Suspicious, Sonic and Tails investigate and rescue two Wisps from Orbot and Cubot.[158][170][171] One of them, a talkative male White Wisp named Yacker, tags along with Sonic and Tails during the game.[172] It turns out that Eggman is converting Wisps to a corrupted, purple (Wii version) or violet (DS version) state to fuel a mind control ray and control the universe.[173][174][175] Sonic frees Wisps from their confines in each level,[176] then uses several of them to defeat Eggman at the end of the game.[177] However, Eggman's mind control cannon malfunctions and creates a black hole, which sucks Sonic in until the Wisps combine their power to pull him out and neutralize the black hole.[178] Yacker frees the remaining Wisps, reverts them from their corrupted form, thanks Sonic and Tails,[179] and leaves.[180] The DS version features Mother Wisp as a post-game boss, as she was corrupted by the corrupted Wisps' Hyper-go-ons.[181][182] Wisps have also appeared in the level "Planet Wisp" in Sonic Generations[183] and the comics.[184] Iizuka stated in an interview that the Wisps were added to Colors to "expand and strengthen the platformaction gameplay" without forcing the player to switch to other playable characters.[185] Another goal was to encourage players to revisit already-played levels; Sonic Team accomplished this by adding segments requiring certain types of Wisps to levels preceding their first appearances.[186] Iizuka has said that he now considers them a staple in the Sonic series.[187]

Critics have given mixed opinions toward Wisps and their integration into Sonic gameplay. IGN's Arthur Gies called them "the big addition" to Sonic Colors, outshining its polished physics and controls.[150] Dave McComb of film magazine Empire called them "cutesy" and "strange",[188] while John Meyer of Wired found them "cuddly" and Dale North of Destructoid called them "a cute little alien race".[189][190] Randy Nelson from Joystiq called them "plush" and speculated that they could easily lend their image to profitable merchandise.[191] Positive attention has been directed at the variety of Wisps available in Sonic Colors and Lost World and at the variety of gameplay styles they brought to the titles: for example, Gies stated that "almost all of them add interesting quirks to Sonic's basic abilities."[150] Reviewing the Nintendo DS version of Colors, Tim Turi from Game Informer stated that "each adds an interesting new gameplay mechanic" to the game.[163] Gies and Turi also praised the ability to revisit old levels with Wisps unlocked afterwards.[150][163]Nintendo Power's Steve Thomason identified them as "a truly interesting addition to the Sonic formula" amidst a series of missteps, and praised their "cleverly designed" variety.[162]Computer and Video Games writer Chris Scullion described Wisps in Lost World as "familiar power-ups that emulate mechanics in Mario's Wii adventures" as part of a larger, ambivalent point about the game being derivative of Super Mario Galaxy.[192] However, control and pacing aspects of the Wisps in general, as well as of individual types, have been criticized: for example, Turi opined that "for almost every useful ability there is a complete dud" and bemoaned the Wii controls.[193] Justin Speer from GameTrailers thought similarly and added that the Wisps "don't really feel like they belong".[194]Hardcore Gamer Magazine's review of Lost World stated that none of the Wisps make satisfying use of the Wii U's gamepad.[195] Chris Shilling of Eurogamer found them to "lead to clumsy touchscreen or gyro interludes that kill a level's pacing."[196]

Sticks the Badger

Sticks the Badger[aj] is an orange and brown badger, first introduced in the animated Sonic Boom television series. Her characteristics are wild and energetic, having lived in the wilderness alone for most of her life. Nonetheless, she is portrayed as wanting to strengthen her newfound friendship with Sonic, Amy, Tails and Knuckles.[197] Sticks appears in Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, where she is described as "infantile" by Scott Thompson of IGN[198] and an "unlikeable idiot" by Becky Cunningham of GamesRadar,[199] albeit a "nice addition" by Chris Carter of Destructoid.[200]

^"Sonic Lost World". Official Nintendo Magazine (94): 48, 49. October 2013. That’s a nice idea! At Summer of Sonic a lot of people were asking if we might feature characters like Shadow, or if there was any possibility of spin-offs. The focus isn’t on taking characters and building around them, but on the game itself. Obviously, if there was a game in which we could use the characters in the best way, we might consider it. For Big the Cat, if it’s a fishing game, it’s a possibility.

^Sega (2004). "Team Dark". Sonic Heroes Manual. Sega. The last and most powerful of Dr. Eggman's E-Series robots ... Omega decided to take revenge for his imprisonment, and to prove once and for all that he is the strongest.

^Sonic Team (November 16, 2010). Sonic Colors (Wii). Sega. Tails: So anyway, these aliens are made up of a REALLY powerful energy source called Hyper-go-ons. It's inside of them ... It's their life source.

^Sonic Team (November 16, 2010). Sonic Colors (DS). Sega. Tails: Whoa! He phased right into your body, Sonic! Are you all right?

^Sonic Team (November 16, 2010). Sonic Colors (DS). Sega. Tails: He also says only one colored Wisp will fit into the gauge at once, so to use its power again, you need to free another one.